Guest Column
| March 5, 2013

Keeping Your Team Motivated, Happy And Productive

By Erica Prewett, Founder/Owner, A Big To Do Event, Twitter: @ChecklistQueen

Business owners go through stages in their growth cycle. At first all you can think about is having your own business and working for yourself: “Man, that feels so good! Now I don’t have to answer to anyone. I can work from the couch in my PJs, and it’s OK because I’m the boss.”

Then you realize business doesn’t come through the door quite as fast as you’d like if you’re in your PJs on the couch. So you put on real clothes and go out and network. But that’s OK, because you’re the boss, and you can network as much or as little as you like.

Then the networking actually pays off, and you’ve now got more business than you can manage on your own. So you hire someone and that’s cool, because you’re the boss! But wait a minute. That means you’re the boss. The success or failure of your employees depends heavily on your ability to be a good leader.

Here are four ways to keep your employees engaged, happy and profitable — for themselves, for you and for your company.

1. Ask them what they would do. I’m very clear that I have only one brain and many times it doesn’t hold the perfect answer. It does, however, hold the final answer. So when asking your employees what they’d do if they were you, don’t be surprised if you get an answer that you never would have thought of alone … in your PJs … on the couch.